I’m currently working on an android application.
I’m developing this application for a small company of cleaning, they need the application to coordinates in a better way the work.
I was wondering which one is the best way to let the final user install the application, like for example:
-Publish it on the play store
-Send to each user the .apk
Also, keep in mind that the app will be updated in the future so must be easy to apply the updates.
In the end, I’d like to know which kind of approach can suit my situation and which one is the best way to proceed, thanks to everyone.
If you want easy updates, play store is definitely the way to go. BUT. Everybody would be able to download your app so you have to create an authentification system.
If you want to publish your app just for the final users, they can install a .apk. However, updates will be complicated as every user would need to reinstall the .apk for each update.
That's up to you.
Related
So, is there a realiable way to update enterprise/intern apps remotelly?
I work in a company that spreads across my state, including some areas that the access is dificult, so I can't send someone to locally update the app everytime there's a new release.
I'm working with Android/Java at the moment, and we also use Azure DevOps to store the repositories.
I tryied App Center from Microsoft but didn't understood if that could help me update my app or not.
Also, we don't want to publish the application to the PlayStore and make it public. Unless, of course, if that's the only way.
Thank you for your time reading this, I will keep searching something related to this and also share here any solution that I can find.
There's different ways to do so I'll say some but there's definitely more.
You can use Push-link, read about it it does more or less what you are looking for.
Perhaps could work uploading the .apk to Google Play and just publish it for beta testers, here's an old Google Play Private App Guide pdf and perhaps it doesn't work anymore but give it a try.
Also what you tried with App Center perhaps what you are looking for is Distribution In-App Updates
Note: This is not recommended to avoid by passing Google Play to distribute an app
I have an android app which incorporates a jar file which is 6mb in size. I want to be able to provide updates to my app without bundling the 6mb jar for each update, instead only send the application code that changed for each update. Someone please let me know if this is possible?
Not through the play store. I doubt it would be possible outside it either- Android apks are signed. I'm not sure if the signature would work after diffing.
Really though, why do you care? If its through the play store, 6 MB isn't much to download. It'll just take a few seconds. If you're handing out the apk, then it won't even take that. It seems like it really isn't worth worrying about.
Well, this depends. If you can be smart about it you can probably do it for some apps. For example if you need to update images and data, you might put a data-package in your app that you can download from a web server you set up your self. Problem is that you need to put some thought into it and it does not work for all kinds of apps.
6mb really is no big deal. I would use PlayStore for updates. My apps are 22mb and I stil use it.
If you're really concerned, you can either put the large content that makes your app up like Images on the internet and then design your app to download them on startup if they don't exist. So this way, it will remain on the SD even though app is updated.
this is my question:
I need my app to verify if a new version is available on the market. Potentially it would show an alert dialog notifying that an update is available and then take the user to the market.
I know that the market does that if the user checks that option, but many people don't bother taking a look at updates, and I really need to give them a nudge to get the update.
I didn't find any suitable solution for this, as I've read before that an app can´t retrieve this information from the market. Is searching for a value in an html file on my server a possibility?
What you want is prvided by a really GREAT library you can use called aQuery: Here is the page that goes over it's check for upgrade functionality http://code.google.com/p/android-query/wiki/Service
And it does SOOOOO much more too.
I have developed a application. i want to make user to subscribe it for one year. After one year i want to disable/uninstall my application automatically.
How can i do this?
Thank you.
If it's a paid application, you should be able to use the licensing available on the Android marketplace to do what you require. It will not uninstall the application but it should be able to disable it.
edit: However, I don't have enough experience with the licensing to know if uninstalling and reinstalling the app will reset the time period or if there is any way to allow reinstalls. It may be worth experimenting with though.
Here's the scenario i am trying to achieve:
Publish/have an app in the Android app store
However - i do not want it to be searchable through the android market search, etc.
The only way people can access the app is if i give them an explicit link to download
Is above possible? If so - how? All FAQs/instrucitons i have seen publish & make it searchable for the whole world - but i want it only accessible through #3 above.
Thanks.
Try this site https://www.push-link.com/, you can upload apk on your private account and only can be accessible thorough automatic generated link and QR code. This service contains user notification on new versions and bug reports.
Two things that are problematic with the link to an APK approach:
Some of the devices out there (I m only aware of the Motorola Atrix) don't have the "Unkown Sources" option, meaning that this won't work on them.
You loose the ability to auto update the app if you want.
I would recommend adding a login process where only your users will have access to the actual application. This way, you still have the Market advantages and only those people can activate the application.
The main disadvantage is that the application will be open to search in the Market, but as far as I know, this won't be a problem since people will immediately uninstall it since they won't be able to activate it.
In your case, what I do is, I dont upload the application to the Market and distribute it from my server.
I mean this is simple, sweet and it also saves my $25 for the market account...
Don't do this. Just publish the APK to your own website, then give the users the URL to the APK, they can download and install it directly. The only thing they'll need to do is ensure that Menu-Settings-Applications-Unknown sources is ticked.